It would help if we put what info about numbers is available .. example there are so few Rhode island whites that I have not been able to find anything on their numbers. I have heard from a master breeder that there are only about 50 rose comb RIR during the winter months.
when we start with a new breed we always ask for breeder birds or breeder/ show birds, but the word SQ can be overused sometimes. A bird that wins at one show may not even place at another against stiff competition. We have been stuck with some SQ birds that would not lay many eggs or a rooster that is not very fertile. All we can do is show them and it is way more fun showing a bird you raised than a bird you bought. Same with call ducks. The little tiny SQ call ducks don't always lay and the drakes are not always fertile, or there is a reason they are being sold in the first place.
Kathy....nice birds by the way. You did say you are coming to Columbus right? It would be great to put a face with people you chat with. We are getting the show boxes out today and tagging them. Getting excited!
when we start with a new breed we always ask for breeder birds or breeder/ show birds, but the word SQ can be overused sometimes. A bird that wins at one show may not even place at another against stiff competition. We have been stuck with some SQ birds that would not lay many eggs or a rooster that is not very fertile. All we can do is show them and it is way more fun showing a bird you raised than a bird you bought. Same with call ducks. The little tiny SQ call ducks don't always lay and the drakes are not always fertile, or there is a reason they are being sold in the first place.
Kathy....nice birds by the way. You did say you are coming to Columbus right? It would be great to put a face with people you chat with. We are getting the show boxes out today and tagging them. Getting excited!
I quick look in the APA yearbook will tell who has the SQ birds. Either raised or bought. The poultry world is a very small place when someone is showing bought birds....especially Call ducks. There are lots of Call ducks that can't reproduce or are even blind. It is surprising how many judges miss blind Call ducks, especially grays. As you say, one persons SQ might be someone else's cull. By looking at show records a person can get a very good idea who has the good birds. Just be sure that they are not winning with one or two birds.
I will be judging at Columbus. I don't know what I will be judging yet.
I thought Lamonas were possibly extinct like the white hollands? I have some "barred hollands" I have been taking to the shows. mostly to pique interest and get some evalutation. The judge this weekend said he didn't think they had it in them to recover, that I'd be bettter off to go back to foundation stock and breed back in the size and barring. (barred rock, austrolorp) and then get the white egg back with the leghorn (also original foundation stock). I sure would like to see some of Urch's stock. There is a hatchery with a picture, but the hen has white legs. This is a project I would like to tackle, but not without a consultant to help with selection. I actually am getting rid of a few rose comb RIR to make room for the Barred Hollands. The two I have now are way too small, and more cuckooed than barred. Still waiting for the first eggs. I have some eggs in the incubator now, I still think they are not quite a pure white like a leghorn, but pretty close. I have to check and see what line they are out of.
Watch:
Ancona
Aseel
Brahma
Catalana
Cochin
Cornish
Dominique
Hamburg
Houdan
Jersey Giant
La Fleche
Minorca
New Hampshire
Old English Game
Polish
Rhode Island White
Sebright
Shamo
Recovering:
Australorp
Leghorn- Non-industrial
Orpington
Plymouth Rock
Rhode Island Red - Non industrial
Sussex
Wyandotte
Study:
Araucana
Iowa Blue
Lamona
Manx Rumpy (aka Persian Rumpless)
Naked Neck (aka Turken)
This is what I have against that list. First, a breed has to be on that list to be counted. Then, the count has not been taken for many years. Add to that the way it is counted. An example is what was recently done with rabbits. NO breed club was contacted to see what members had or what numbers where being reported with in the clubs. A little note was put up on a few yahoo groups to make the count. These groups didn't have anything to do with the actual breeds being counted. There are 3 breeds that I know of that demanded an accurate re-count due to the fact that no club, nor the main registry (ARBA) was ever contacted. An example would be for the English angora. The post was made on rare breeds Yahoo group to ask who had English Angora. No post was made on any angora group, the angora club wasn't contacted and the sheer fact you have to use yahoo groups to be counted is crap in my opinion.. So.. if you want your rare breed to be counted it first must be on the list, it second must be turned in, in a count. Good luck with all that. When I contacted the person actually doing the counts they also told me that no actual count had been done in years and what was being done was by volunteers that really didn't have much of an idea about the breeds or where to gather info about numbers..
Add to this that this is the American count. A breed could be in mass numbers in other countries. This list is only for what is rare here in the US.
In short I don't have much faith in this count, the way it is counted or the way it is marketed to the public as breeds on the list are not always the ones that need attention. I could give many examples.
What I do see as important would be a count of American heritage breeds that do not exist anywhere else in the world that do need our attention. As they will not be saved by importation, or survive in other countries if they are allowed to fail here in the US. It is our own breeds that we need to worry about saving. Most of those are not even on the ARBC lists. I will add that most of the breeds they have on that list you can order in large numbers from most hatcheries.
This does not constitute rare or critical in my opinion.